Nova Scotia {Deetour}
On the fourth of July, I flew over to Nova Scotia to have reunions with old friends. My boyfriend Max joined me. My friend Gay and her family fetched us at the airport. We were so excited because we had not seen each other in 8 years, since Gay left Singapore to move to Canada. Her daughter Jana, who is my goddaughter, was a newborn baby the last time I saw her.
Downtown Halifax
After dropping off our luggage at their home, Gay’s husband Leo drove us to downtown Halifax and we had lunch at the famous restaurant The Bicyle Thief. This place is so busy even during weekdays, so I was glad they made reservations. I was so happy to be able to try their delicious lobster roll.
After a sumptuous meal, we walked around and had ice cream from a place that bragged that they had the best ice cream in Canada. Max – who loves ice cream so much – did not agree.
We enjoyed the beautiful view of the waterfront, complained about the angry hot sun, and even managed to squeeze in a short video call to our friend Zenie in UK, before driving over to Halifax Citadel National Historic Site. We were lucky they had free admission this summer.
Max loves museums, so we let him browse to his heart’s content while Gay and I caught up on each other’s lives (Marites mode). I felt like the citadel reminded me of the surroundings of Elizabeth Castle in Jersey Channel Islands, which I had visited with our friend Zenie.
After closing time, we drove over to “the dark side” – this is their term for Dartmouth, which is on the other side of the bridge from Halifax.
We headed to Fan’s Chinese Restaurant, where we met up with my former Filipino colleagues from Singapore who moved to Halifax – Maybelle, July, Mylene, and Dred.
Some of them had brought their partners and kids along, so we were an extremely noisy table. The Chinese food was delicious, but the gossip even more so. The kids also enjoyed playing in the huge area by themselves. It was the perfect location for such a reunion.
Carter’s Beach
The next morning, Dred joined us and we drove two hours to Carter’s Beach, which is described as a stunning coastal destination known for its powdery white sand and clear turquoise waters.
It reminded me of the famous beaches in the Philippines – Boracay and Palawan – except that this one has the freezing cold waters of the Atlantic. Only Dred and Max dared to wade in with their full bodies. I could dip only my feet for a few seconds.
Another difference is that this place is not as developed – there aren’t any shops or restaurants or water activities. There’s an outhouse toilet, but apparently this was new and wasn’t even there the last time. They joked that they had prepared it for my arrival.
They also said that the weather had cooperated for me; that in previous weekends it was always rainy.
“It must be because I’m a demigod,” I joked.
“You mean DEE-migod,” Dred corrected. 😂
After a couple of hours or so of chilling on the beach, building a sandcastle, and collecting shells, we hit the road again and had lunch at The Blarney Stone Restaurant, which Dred highly recommended for their yummy deep fried clams that I really enjoyed along with their coffee milkshake.
Lunenburg
Afterwards it was about an hour of driving to Lunenburg, which is a UNESCO designated world heritage site.
There were lots of pretty colorful old houses that had been preserved from a long time ago. There was also a waterfront with a beautiful view overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and a golf course, a giant Bluenose coin, live jellyfish, and some ships.
But what excited Max more than all of this was Sweet Treasures Confectionery, which makes fresh waffle cones along with ice cream. He loved it so much in fact that after he finished a double scoop, he bought another!
Peggy’s Cove
We reserved Halifax’s most famous tourist spot – the Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse – for the third day. The surrounding rocks and ocean made for a stunning backdrop against the lighthouse.
Once again, the weather cooperated for me. My former teammates told me that when they were there during a work trip before, the sky was gloomy.
But even though it was sunny, it was still cold because of the wind. I was glad Gay lent me a jacket because I did not bring one, since I thought it should be warm in the summer.
After touring around, we drove away from Peggy’s Cove’s tourist trap area and headed to another one of Dred’s restaurant recommendations – Shaw’s Landing. This place is a favorite with the locals, so we had to wait for a bit before we could get a table.
Lobster was marked as “market price” on their menu, so I asked how much it was. The waitress told me it was C$50 for a lobster with a side of fries, and C$55 if we wanted a mug of beer with that as well. We ordered one.
Not only was the lobster delicious and affordable, but the view was stunning as well! This place is definitely a must visit!
Eastern Passage
After our late lunch, we headed to Eastern Passage, where Dred lives. She had decided to throw her first ever house party for us and other friends.
Jana and I were both excited to meet her dog Coco for the first time. Coco, by the way, is my goddog. 😜
Dred ordered some pizzas and liempo meat which our friend Jon cooked on the outdoor barbecue grill for us.
His wife Maybelle brought some tubs of Dee Dee’s ice cream – my ice cream LOL – for me to try. She said they were her daughter’s favorite, and I can understand why. They’re really good!
Everyone ended up enjoying themselves, especially the old folks who clearly loved being around people. Dred also surprised her partner Isaac with a birthday ice cream cake, and most of us had a piece.
After everyone else went home for the night, Max and I had a sleepover at Dred and Isaac’s place and woke up the next morning to our hosts cooking us breakfast.
They then drove us around Eastern Passage. We went on a beautiful hiking trail overlooking a river, to a pebbly beach which was weirdly full of people on a Monday morning, and to Fisherman’s Cove where we bought souvenirs and Doner kebabs. Dred got a cute stuffed lobster for Froyo and Max got one for me, too.
And then in what seemed like a blink of an eye, it was time for Dred to drive us to the airport. 😢
I am really glad that I had a chance to see my friends again, and that we also finally got to meet each other’s partners. Maybe we’ll be back again next time. They did say that we should visit Cape Breton.
